On arriving in Sitka from a two hour flight from Seattle, Vonnie or her staff will pick you up at the airport for transport to the lodge. After a short stop for beverages and licensing, we will drive you to the lodge, approximately 5 minutes from downtown Sitka. Once you are settled into your rooms and acquainted with the lodge, you will be fitted in rain gear and boots for the remainder of your stay and for you fishing comfort.
You will be awoken in the morning to coffee and a continental breakfast. We will drive you down to our boats at 5 am, where your captains and deckhands await dockside. A typical day will involve a 30-45 minute “commute” to the fishing grounds. Each angler will have their own salmon fishing rod, employing what is known as mooching. Mooching involves a simple line from rod tip to weight, attached to Gamagatsu hook setup…with a herring hitching along. This allows for maximum fight for both the fish and the angler…no flashers to get in the way of the play. As we like to say, we like to teach people how to fish…not just how to reel in fish.
After you have (hopefully) retained a limit of king or silver salmon (or a combination of both), you will be driven out to the halibut grounds to soak for halibut. This involves a set-up of heavier tackle, braided line, and circle hooks. The crew will provide hand-crafted sandwiches, built to your desires. Chips, cookies, sodas, coffee, and waters are also provided on board. The halibut we catch range from smaller “chicken” sized halibut (very tasty), to oversized halibut which test the merit of many fishermen. Due to the halibut regulations enforced in southeast Alaska for numerous years, our halibut fishery is very sustainable and maintains healthy populations in our fishing grounds.
In the afternoon on your return to harbor, you may stop and catch one of many species of rockfish that inhabit the area. You will return to the dock at approximately 3 pm, where you will be picked up and transported to the lodge. Fresh baked cookies and snacks await your arrival. After time to shower and relax, it is appetizer and social time. (Or you can be transported into town to view the incredible scenery and history that Sitka offers.) This is followed by a full service meal prepared by a trained Basque chef, who enjoys his job of teaching the anglers new and creative ways to enjoy their catch at home.
As you are enjoying social hour, we have your fish professionally filleted, processed, and vacuum sealed. From there it is flash frozen in a walk in freezer, and stored in 50 lb. waxed boxes for your return trip home. (We offer unlimited packaging of fish that you lawfully retain on your trip at no cost)
After three or four days of fishing, we will transport you and your fish to the airport, which will be shipped with you as your checked luggage. After hugs at the airport (and hopefully breakfast with your group) we will ship you off to your home destination with wonderful fish and unforgettable memories. Friends will say goodbye to old friends and new friends alike.
It is not uncommon during your fishing days to see a variety of wildlife, to include bald eagles, humpback whales, orcas, otters, sea lions, sea birds, brown bear, and sitka blacktail deer.